Improvement inthe courses or lower sails of square-rigged vessels



No. 44,065. Y PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1864. S. W. BAXTER & J. W. CHAPMAN. COURSE OR LOWER SAIL OF SQUARE RIGGED VESSELS,

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SAMUEL \V. BAXTER, OF DENNIS, AND J. WINSLOVV CHAPMAN, OF

BARN STABLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN'THE COURSES 0R LOWER SAILS 0F SQUARE-RIGGED VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 1.065, datedSeptember 6, 1864.

To all whom it may concern-.-

.3e it known that we, SAMUEL \V. BAXTER, of Dennis, and J. WrNsLow CHAPMAN, of Barnstable, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Courses of Ships and Vessels ofSimilar Big; and we do hereby describe and ascertain our said improvements as follows, referring to the accompanying drawin gs, in which Figure l is a front View of the mainsail; Fig. 2, details of construction for uniting the parts of the, sail; Fig. 3, shackle for uniting the lower inner corners of the half-sail.

Heretofore topsails, and the like, have been divided vertically for the purpose of reefing .by rolling them up, or otherwise, which is 1 n'ike our present device, and will not be mistaken therefor by any one versed in rigging vessels, although the feature of division is common to both.

()ur invention is for the purpose of facilitating the handling of the-larger sails, by which they can be taken in and furled easier than by any way heretofore devised.

Vhile we retain all the advantages of the old style of rigging, we add many new ones, such as carrying sail on the lea or weather side alone, so as to aid in steering or paying off, and expeditiously and easily relieving the ship when taken aback in a heavy squall.

The construction is as follows: The courses instead of being made in one piece, as heretofore, are divided from top to bottom, either down the center into two equal parts, or on either side thereof into three (more or less) parts.

The drawings show the sail divided at the center, and to this will the description be confined, the changes for a greater number of divisions being obvious multiplications of the simple device. The sail, made in two parts, is

bent on in the usual way,and when in ordinary use, in. light weather, the edges of the two halves at the center are united so as to present the appearance and eii'ect ofa single sail. This union is somade as to be atonce disconnected, on emergency, as follows: We affix along the inner edge ot'each halt sail a (1. lines of fairleaders, of wood or other material, so arranged as that those on one half will come bet-ween those on the other, as clear] y shown at bin the drawing. Through these we reeve a rope, securely fastened at the two ends, by which means the two halves of the sail are thumb-screw 'on each side, so as to firmly unite them and secure the corners of the sail. There are clew-ga'rnets and other gear connected with the inner edges of the half-sail, to aid in handling, furling, 850., when said halves are divided. There are also tacks and sheets at the inner elews, as at the outer. The tacks d are broughtinto requisition before the halves of the sail are separated, by belaying them to cleats on deck or otherwise. When the parts of the sails are to be separated, after the tacks are secured, the center rope through the fair-leaders before named is let go and drawn out, the seizing cut loose from the shackle or the screws freed, as the case may be, while the shackle is thereby freed from. its hold and the parts of the sail are disuniled,

forming twoindependent sails,.either of which can be reefed or furled at will by the ordinary means.

Besides the mode described of uniting the parts of the sail at the center, others may be adopted that are obvious to the expert, such as a series of loops on one part passing through grummets in the other, and either looped into each other or having a rope passed through them. Many other well-known devicesfor similar purposes will occur to the practical sailor or rigger, but wehave pointed out sutficient to'show what iswell adapted to the purpose.

Having thus fully described our improvement, what we claim, and desire to secure by.

Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination of the tacks and sheets at the division of the sail,formed of two parts, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Uniting the two halves of a sail by means of fair-leaders with a rope rove therein, or the equivalent thereof, so that the sail can readily be united or disunited, as is required and herein specified.

The shackle, Fig. 4, formed of two parts for uniting the lower corners ot'othe divided sail, as set forth.

SAML. W. BAXTER.

J. \VINSLOW CHAPMAN.

Witnesses: I

J. J. GREENOUGH, EUGENE LAURENCE. 

